Device for cutting and holding the threads of a sewing machine



Nov. 2, 1965 L. BONO 3,215,106

DEVICE FOR CUTTING AND HOLDING THE THREADS OF A SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Lzwzya 5on0 g m fiwz,

ORNEYS Nov. 2, 1965 L. BONO 3,215,106

DEVICE FOR CUTTING AND HOLDING THE THREADS OF A SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR Luz'ga' 507w ATTORNEYS United States Patent ()ffice 3,215,106 DEVICE FOR CUTTING AND HOLDING THE THREADS OF A SEWING MACHINE Luigi Bono, Pavia, Italy, assignor to Necchi Societa per Azioni, Pavia, Italy Filed .Ian. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,893 Claims priority, application Italy, Apr. 11, 1962, Patent 672,957 6 Claims. ((11. 112-452) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in accessories for sewing machines, and more particularly to a novel device for cutting and holding the threads of a sewing machine when there is no more fabric under the pressure foot of the sewing machine so that the machine can be ready to start a new sewing when additional fabric is fed thereinto.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a novel assembly which will automatically grip and cut the threads of a sewing machine after fabric has passed from beneath the presser foot of the sewing machine so that the threads are held in place in a manner wherein when other fabric is fed into the sewing machine, sewing may continue without any manipulation of the thread by the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel presser foot and fabric feed assembly wherein the two cooperate normally in the feeding of fabric, and when no fabric is available to automatically cut the threads of the sewing machine and hold the threads in place for the starting of a new sewing.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a sewing machine a novel presser foot and fabric feeder assembly wherein the presser foot is provided with two soles and the fabric feeder is provided with a thread feeding and gripping member wherein the fabric feeding and gripping member is associated with one of the soles for cooperation therewith, and the one sole is also cooperable with a needle plate to effect the clamping of the thread thereagainst when the fabric feeder is lowered, and the other of the soles is operable independently of the one sole for initially feeding fabrics and cooperating with the fabric feeder to feed fabric beneath the needle of the sewing machine wherein while the one sole is holding the previously cut threads, the other sole effects the feeding of new fabric in a new sewing operation.

The device of this invention generally comprises a presser foot and a fabric feeder having toothed feeder members which are movable in slots of a needle plate; the foot having a front sole and a back sole, the front sole being pivotally mounted on a support of the foot and the back sole being pivotally mounted on the front sole and adapted to press against the needle plate behind the customary needle hole therein; and to the fabric feeder is fastened an elastic plate protruding upwardly with respect to the feed members of the fabric feed and movable in front of one of the feed members into an extension of the slot in the needle plate for the feed member, which slot is in longitudinal alignment with the needle hole.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the needle plate and fabric feeder in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1 showing the needle plate mounted within the base of a sewing machine and having associated therewith the presser foot and needle.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the rear sole and portions of the needle plate and specifically shows the rear sole clamping cut threads against the needle plate, the fabric feeder being in a retracted position.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary elevational views showing the mechanism at the beginning, during and towards the end of a sewing operation, respectively.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the device of this'invention includes a needle plate 1 which is secured to a base 2 of a sewing machine in a conventional manner. The needle plate 1 is provided with a plurality of slots 3, 4, 5 and 6 in which toothed feed members 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively, of the fabric feeder are mounted for reciprocatory movement. The fabric feeder is generally referred to by the numeral 11 and is illustrated in the drawings as feeding fabric 12. The fabric feeder 11 is actuated in a conventional manner (not shown) associated with the needle plate 1. It is to be noted that the slots 3 and 4 are disposed along opposite sides of a needle hole 13 formed in the needle plate 1, and the slots 5 and 6 are in longitudinal alignment with the needle hole 13, the slot 5 being in advance of the needle hole 13 and the slot 6 being behind the needle hole. The needle hole 13 is surrounded at its upper end by a notch-like recess 13', which as is best shown in FIGURE 3, is shaped for guiding a lower thread 17 as it passes up through the needle hole 13 and over a portion 14 of the needle plate 1 disposed in advance of the slot 6.

The needle of the sewing machine is referred to by the numeral 15 and is reciprocated in a conventional manner (not shown). An upper thread 16 carried by the needle 15 is associated with the lower thread 17 to form stitches in a conventional manner, the lower thread 17 coming from a stitch forming member (not shown) set under the base 2 of the sewing machine.

The sewing machine includes a presser bar 18 which is vertically reciprocated in any conventional manner and has secured thereto, in the usual manner, a support 19 of a presser foot 20. The presser foot 20 is provided with two soles 21 and 22. The sole 21, which is the front sole, is pivotally mounted on a pivot 23 carried by the support 19. The sole 22, which is the rear sole, is pivotally mounted on a pivot 24 carried by the sole 21, with the sole 22 being positioned beneath a lower recess 25 of the sole 21.

A plate 26 is secured to the rear of the sole 22 by means of a screw 27 for striking against the support 19 to limit the pivoting of the soles 21 and 22 relative to the support 19.

The front sole 21 is positioned for cooperation with the feed members 7, 8 and 9 of the fabric feeder 11 forwardly of the needle hole 13. On the other hand, the rear sole 22 is mounted for cooperation with the feed members 7, 8 and 10 of the fabric feeder behind the needle hole 13.

A resilient plate 29 is set into the slot 6 of the needle plate 1 in front of the feed member 10 and is secured to the fabric feeder 11 by means of a screw 30. The screw 30 also secures a small plate 31 below the rear end of the resilient plate 29. The. plate 31 has a notch 32 in the upper forward surface thereof which allows the resilient plate 29 to bend downwardly without danger of breaking. The downward bending of the resilient plate 29 is due to the fact that when the fabric feeder 11 is completely lowered into the slots of the needle plate 1, the plate 29 protrudes at its indented end 28 upwardly into the slot 6 above the feed member 10, as is shown in FIGURE 3. Accordingly, when the fabric feeder 11 is raised, the indented end 28 of the plate 29 presses against the fabric 12 or against the sole 22 of the presser foot 20 and bends, as is shown in FIGURE 2.

Patented Nov. 2, I965 The fabric feeder 11 carries an adjusting screw 33 which presses against the central portion of the resilient plate 29 to permit the adjustment in the height of the indented end 28 of the plate with respect to the teeth of the feed member 10. The indented end 28 of the plate 29 has a notch 34 for receiving and conveying the threads 17 and 18 towards the feed member so that the threads can be cut by the feed member 10.

During a normal sewing operation, as is shown in FIGURE 5, both soles 21 and 22 of the presser foot 20 press against the fabric 12 in order that all of the feed members 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the fabric feeder 11 cooperate in the movement of the fabric. When there is no more fabric under the sole 21, as is shown in FIGURE 6, the sole 22 continues to press against the fabric 12 and with the cooperation of the feed members 7, 8 and 10, continues to move the fabric 12.

When the fabric 12 passes from beneath the sole 22, the teeth of the feed member 10, by pressing and sliding against the sole 22, cut the threads 16 and 17, and the ends of these threads are held against the sole 22 by the indented end 28 of the resilient plate 29. When the feed member 11 is lowered in the operation thereof, the sole 22 will automatically move down to clamp the threads 16 and 17 against the portion 14 of the needle plate 1, as is shown in FIGURE 3. The fact that the indented end 28 of the resilient plate 29 protrudes upwardly with respect to the teeth of the feed member 10 assures that the threads 16 and 17 are again clamped between the elastic plate 29 and the sole 22 when the raising of the fabric feeder 11 forces the sole 22 upwardly from the plate portion 14, and, vice versa, the threads 16 and 17 already held between the sole 22 and the plate 14 when the lowering of the fabric feeder 11 moves the elastic plate 29 away from the sole 22.

The fact that the indented end 28 of the elastic plate 29 is indented allows the plate 29 to stretch the two threads 16 and 17 during the movement of the fabric feeder 11 in the direction of the arrow x in FIGURE 2. In this manner, the threads 16 and 17 are retained in the correct direction.

When a new piece of fabric 12 is introduced under the presser foot 20, the foot raises first the front sole 21, as is shown in FIGURE 4, while the rear sole 22 still holds the threads 16 and 17 against either the plate portion 14 of the needle plate 1 or the indented end 28 of the elastic plate 29. This holding of the threads 16 and 17 continues until the new fabric 12 starts beneath the sole 22 for the formation of a stitch, although no stitches have been previously formed in the new fabric. It will thus be apparent that the threads 16 and 17 are automatically cut as a first fabric moves out from beneath the sole 22 and are held in position until a new fabric has been fed beneath the sole 2]. and has started beneath the sole 22 in a position wherein the needle can penetrate the fabric and form a stitch.

Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor modifications may be made in the device within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine of the type including a needle, a needle plate with slots, fabric feed members projectable through slots in said needle plate, and a presser foot, mechanism for automatically cutting and holding sewing threads, said mechanism comprising a sole on said presser foot, teeth on one of said feed members cooperable with said sole for feeding fabric and cutting threads when no fabric is present between said one feed member and said sole to press the trailing thread against said sole during carried by said one feed member and cooperable with said sole G to press the trailing thread against said sole during the cutting thereof, said thread cutting and holding means comprising a support fastened to said one feed element and elastically pressed upwards through a slot in said needle plate and positioned between said teeth of said one feed member and the path of travel of said needle.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said combined thread feeding and holding means include a longitudinally disposed thread guiding recess and transverse thread feeding teeth.

3. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said needle plate has a needle receiving hole, said one feed member and said combined thread feeding and holding means being aligned with said needle hole in the direction of fabric feed, and said needle plate having an upper thread guiding recess surrounding said needle hole and directed towards said one feed member and said combined thread feeding and holding means.

4. The mechanisms of claim 1 wherein said sole has a thread receiving notch in a forward end thereof.

5. In a sewing machine of the type including a needle, a needle plate with slots, fabric feed members projectable through slots in said needle plate, and a presser foot, mechanism for automatically cutting and holding sewing threads, said mechanism comprising a sole on said presser foot, teeth on one of said feed members cooperable with said sole for feeding fabric and cutting threads when no fabric is present between said one feed member and said sole, and combined thread feeding and holding means carried by said one feed member and cooperable with said sole, a second sole carried by said presser foot for cooperation with others of said feed members to feed fabric beneath the needle while previously cut threads are being held against said first mentioned sole to press the trailing thread against said sole during the cutting thereof, said thread cutting and holding means comprising a support fastened to said one feed element and elastically pressed upwards through a slot in said needle plate and positioned between said teeth of said one feed member and the path of travel of said needle.

6. The mechanism of claim 5 wherein said second sole is pivotally mounted on said presser foot, and said first mentioned sole is pivotally mounted on said second sole.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 260,478 7/ 82 Gritzner 112-216 X 2,293,236 8/42 Anderson 112-216 X 7 2,318,843 5/43 Enos 112-252 2,47 0,93 1 5/49 Jennings 112-25 3 2,882,846 4/59 Coates 112-216 3,068,819 12/ 62 Hedegaard 112-252 3,094,087 6/63 Thorne 112-216 X FOREIGN PATENTS 363,493 12/3 1 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. IN A SEWING MACHINE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A NEEDLE, A NEEDLE PLATE WITH SLOTS, FABRIC FEED MEMBERS PROJECTABLE THROUGH SLOTS IN SAID NEEDLE PLATE, AND A PRESSER FOOT, MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY CUTTING AND HOLDING SEWING THREADS, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A SOLE ON SAID PRESSER FOOT, TEETH ON ONE OF SAID FEED MEMBERS COOPERABLE WITH SAID SOLE FOR FEEDING FABRIC AND CUTTING THREADS WHEN NO FABRIC IS PRESENT BETWEEN SAID ONE FEED MEMBER AND SAID SOLE TO PRESS THE TRAILING THREAD AGAINST SAID SOLE DURING CARRIED BY SAID ONE FEED MEMBER AND COOPERABLE WITH SAID SOLD G TO PRESS THE TRAILING THREAD AGAINST SAID SOLE DURING THE CUTTING THEREOF, SAID THREAD CUTTING AND HOLDING MEANS COMPRISING A SUPPORT FASTENED TO SAID ONE FEED ELEMENT AND ELASTICALLY PRESSED UPWARDS THROUGH A SLOT IN SAID NEEDLE PLATE AND POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID TEECH OF SAID ONE FEED MEMBER AND THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID NEEDLE. 